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Abstract

The greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions of conventional and unconventional natural gas are primarily methane and carbon dioxide that are released in natural gas development activities. Addressing these emissions have gained attention because of recent climate commitments. Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) can help to compare different pathways of gas development considering all life cycle stages. The objective of this thesis is to conduct a LCA of GHG emissions of natural gas in western Canada, with a focus on BC`s Montney and Horn River. This thesis presents a gap analysis demonstrating that current public data in Canada is insufficient to characterize the life cycle emissions and highlighted where the data is needed. Preliminary estimates suggest that the average US unconventional gas life cycle emissions are higher than those in Canada but significant variability exists between and within regions of Canada. Future investigation and data collection is required to confirm these preliminary results.